Monday, May 6, 2013

Capsicum Benefits and tips

Capsicum is also known as sweet peppers (green, red, or yellow peppers), are mild-flavored vegetable.

Benefits of Capsicum :-

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1. Capsicum is ideal for diabetic patients.
If the diabetic diet was supposed to be boring, try spicing up your
cuisine with capsicum-based products, like hot sauce or jalapeno
peppers.

2. It increases methabolism to burn a measurable number of calories at a higher rate.

3. Capsicum reduces high blood pressure, protects against some types of
cancer and is useful in the treatment of chronic rhinitis.

4. Capsicum has been used in folk remedies to treat everything from
impotence to liver disease. Loaded with vitamins A, C and beta carotene,
peppers are naturally low in fat, calories and cholesterol.

5. Capsicum acts on and desensitizes nerve fibers that carry pain signals throughout the nervous system.

6. Cancer Prevention: The compound capsaicin is also
believed to treat cancer by preventing carcinogens from binding with
DNA. As a regular dietary intake, it has been found through various
studies that eating capsicum can provide some protection from cancer.

7. Prevents Clotting of Blood: Studies suggest that
capsicum has the capacity to prevent clotting of blood. Vitamin C is
found to play a major role in dissolving blood clots.8. Fights Food-Borne Bacterial Diseases: In a study
it has been found that capsaicin content in capsicum is effective in
fighting off food-borne bacterial diseases like Vibrio vulnificus
bacteria found in raw shellfish.

Buying Tips :-Select capsicums that are firm and glossy with a
uniform colour. Avoid any capsicums that have dull or wrinkled skin,
spots or blemishes.

Storage :-Keep capsicums in the crisper section or in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Varieties :-

Capsicums come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Some varieties include:

Coloured :-Capsicums
are usually sold by colour; all capsicums are green at first, then turn
red, orange, yellow or a purple black when they ripen further.

Red
capsicums are the sweetest due to their higher sugar cotent, and are
rich in vitamin C and beta carotene.

Orange and yellow capsicums have
almost as much sugar as the red variety, while green ones have a low
sugar content due to early picking, which gives them their slightly
bitter taste.